About The IR-4 Project

1. About The IR-4 Project

2. IR-4 Mission Since 1963, facilitating the regulatory approval of sustainable pest management technology for specialty crops and specialty uses to promote public well-being

3. Specialty Crops Include: Most: Vegetables Fruits Nuts Herbs Spices

4. Specialty Crops Include: Most: Greenhouse Nursery Landscape Christmas Trees

5. Value of Specialty Crops in US Agriculture • Defined by EPA as crops grown on <300,000 acres in US • are high value/low acreage crops • make up about 40 % of US agriculture productions > $83 billion in sales • at least 26 states derive more than 50% of agricultural crop sales from specialty crops

6. States where specialty crops comprise ~half of all crop production value

7. IR-4… is the ONLY Publicly funded program that conducts research and submits petitions to EPA requesting approval of new tolerances and registration of new uses for pest management tools (herbicides/insecticides/fungicides/ plant growth regulators/biopesticides/pest control products for use in certified organic crop production, etc.)

8. Who Pays For It? • Major Funding for IR-4 is Provided By: • USDA-NIFA Competitive Grant and Hatch Act • Funds in cooperation with… • State Agricultural Experiment Stations, and • USDA-ARS Additional Support Provided By: USDA-APHIS Commodity & Industry Partners for Special Research Projects

9. Canada (NAFTA) • Health Canada’s Pest Management • Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and Agriculture • and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Pest Management Centre (PMC) • Partnership with IR-4 began in 1996 - several hundred cooperative • Canadian field trials have been completed • First PMRA/EPA joint petition review completed in 2002 – a decision • is required in 8-12 months • In 2003, the Canadian government made a major funding commitment to minor crop growers through PMRA and AAFC = “IR-4 North!” • Each year we organize 15-20 joint studies, with field trials conducted • in each country, and Canada PMC serving as Sponsor of several

10. Partnerships Make Things Happen • Land Grant Universities • Land Grant System and In-Kind support is valued at over $18,000,000 annually • They provide: • Analytical Laboratories • Offices • Research Farms • Infrastructure and Administrative Support • Pest Management and Crop Expertise

11. Partnerships • Crop Protection Industry • Partnerships with agrochemical companies are crucial – • without their products and approvals to expand labels to • add specialty crops ……… • IR-4 alerts companies of potential market opportunities • (Dow/quinoxyfen powdery mildew example) • Work closely with companies year-round to gain current • product information & coordinate submissions to EPA • IR-4 must obtain company registration packages to submit • to EPA – requires very close cooperation

12. Industry Partners ADAMA

13. Partnerships Commodity Liaison Committee • Provides direct input to: • Project Management Committee • Priority-setting Workshops • Provide key interface with U.S. House and Senate • Agriculture Appropriations staff members • Efforts resulted in IR-4 budget increases in 2004, • 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010; minimized • budget reductions in 2011-2013; and maintained • level funding other years

14. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • EPA/IR-4 Technical Working Group: • initiated 1999, meets several times/yr; annual educational bus tours • Explores initiatives to facilitate minor crop tolerances; super crop group proposals on azoxystrobin and spinosad saved over $1M in taxpayer $$s • EPA reviews annual IR-4 residue program, and provides input on registrability of proposed new uses before project prioritization; ~50% of annual new tolerances EPA approves are based on IR-4 submissions • Leadership with agency on electronic petition submissions

15. IR-4 International Activities Global leadership - Global Minor Use Summit I, II and III (2007 & 2012 & 2017) – created Global Minor Use portal on the IR-4 website (http://www.gmup.org/) - global tomato residue study (27 trials/22 countries) - global blueberry residue study (28 trials/9 countries) - global harmonization of crop groups and MRLs - involved in multi-national submissions and global registrations - involved in various Int’l regulatory groups (JMPR/CCPR/Codex) - capacity building with FAS – Thailand, Africa, Columbia, Brazil, Costa Rica, others - global priority-setting workshops, Sept. 2015& Oct. 2017

16. IR-4 National Headquarters • Located at Rutgers University in New Jersey • Responsible to manage and coordinate the day to day activities of the program • Staffed with 28 full time Scientists, Coordinators & Administrative Personnel

17. Who Does the Work? IR-4 HQ IR-4 Regional Program Office

18. State Satellite Labs & Field Research Centers Hawaii = Puerto Rico = State Field Research Centers/Food Use State Field Research Centers/Ornamentals and Non-food Use

19. USDA-ARS Labs and Field Research Centers ARS Labs ARS Field Research Centers/Food Use ARS Field Research Center/ Ornamental ARS Field Research Centers/ Food Use Ornamentals and Non-Food Use

20. Field Trials and Residue Analyses Sites Across the U.S IR-4 HQ IR-4 Regional Program Office State Field Research Centers/Food Use State Field Research Centers/ Ornamentals and Non-food Use Hawaii = ARS Labs ARS Field Research Centers Food Use Puerto Rico = ARS Field Research Centers Ornamental ARS Field Research Centers Ornamental and Food Use

21. Project Management Committee (13 Members) IR-4 Executive Director (HQ)* Regional Directors (4) * ARS Program Staff Officer * Administrative Advisers (4 NIFA Regions and 1 ARS) Chair, Commodity Liaison Committee* (The CLC has >30 members; only the chair is a PMC member) USDA/NIFA National Program Leader * Voting members • IR-4 HQ, Rutgers University —Study Directors, QA Manager, HQ Staff • USDA-ARS, — ARS Labs and Field Stations • 4 Regions — Univ. of California, Davis; Univ. of Florida; Rutgers Univ./Univ. of MD; Michigan State Univ. • Regional Directors Oversee: • Regional Field Coordinator • Regional Lab Coordinator (except Rutgers/Univ. of MD) • Regional QA Coordinator • All units work under the umbrella of the Project Management Committee

22. IR-4 Project Objectives • Food Crop Program • Environmental Horticulture Program • Biopesticide & Organic Support • Integrated Solutions

23. https://www.ir4project.org/submit-a-request-food-crops/ The IR-4 Food Use Regulatory Clearance Process The Process Starts with Requests Submitted from: • Growers • Grower Groups • State/Federal Research & Extension Personnel Stakeholder: Define Pest Problem Identify Pest Management Solution Request Assistance from IR-4 Request Reviewed by Manufacturer Requests Prioritized ( ) Top Priorities Researched That Year Other Priorities Researched as Money Allows • Field and Lab Research • Measure residue levels in crop samples (EPAregions.pptx) • Top priorities completed in ~30 months Risk Assessment Data Submitted to EPA Manufacturer Adds Crop to the Product Label Tolerance Established by EPA

24. EPA Crop Production Zones 12 11 7 1 5 9 8 10 2 4 6 3 13

25. 30 Month Timeline 30 Month Timeline Analytic Phase – analyze samples Submit report to EPA Project Initiation – sign the Protocol 10th month 30th month 0-month Quality Assurance Review GLP Petition Prep – prepare report Field Phase – apply test sub. 22nd month 2nd month

26. Established 1974; renamed Environ. Hort in 2018 10% of the Project’s efforts and resources Primarily develops efficacy and crop safety data for manufacturers to write product use directions IR-4 EnvironHort Program

27. Biopesticide and Organic Support Program • Formally established in 1982 • activities before 1982: regulatory assistance w/Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt • 1982-1994: mostly regulatory assistance • 1995-2013 • regulatory assistance/submissions to BPPD at EPA • ~10% of IR-4 efforts and resources in this area • grants-based research program per researcher interests; funded early, • advanced and demonstration (co-funded by EPA) research proposals • 2008 – became “Biopesticide and Organic Support Program” • 2014 - present • directed research program, based on priorities set by stakeholders • regulatory assistance continues • consolidated into the Food and EnvironHort programs

28. Biopesticide Program “Signature Successes” - Codling moth Granulosis Virus - AGRIPHAGES for bacteria control, including canker in greenhouse tomato - Numerous biopesticides for management of mites in/on honeybees - Extract of giant knotweed to manage diseases on many crops  REGALIA - AF36 to manage aflatoxin on many crops - Honeysweet plum variety modified to resist Plum Pox virus - “All Crop” tolerance for spinosad  Broad ENTRUST label for organic crops

29. HoneySweet Plum - Transgenic resistance to Plum Pox Virus Ralph Scorza –USDA-ARS Kearnysville, WV IR-4 provided regulatory expertise to achieve EPA registration

30. Acetic Acid (Vinegar) as an Organic Herbicide (20% concentration) Registered by EPA

31. Research Reorg in 2018 Biopesticide Research being consolidated into Food Use & Environmental Hort Programs • Minimal impact on Environmental Hort Program • Initiation of Integrated Solutions Research (1st project prioritization at 2018 Food Use/Biopesticides Workshop in St. Louis): • Screening studies to identify possible solution(s) - formally Pest Problem Without Solution & majority of Biopesticide Projects • Residue mitigation studies • Resistance Management studies • 2019 is transition year, some traditional biopesticide projects, some Integrated Solutions studies

32. IR-4 Strategies • Focus efforts on Reduced Risk products • Develop registration strategies with product registrants • Develop successful partnerships • Get involved in International activities that help U.S. growers of specialty crops

33. Reduced Risk Strategy • Focus research efforts on Reduced Risk products • – 1993 EPA policy to expedite the registration of products with less risk to human health and environment • – since 2000, about 80% of IR-4 research has involved Reduced Risk products, or those classified as OP replacements • Support and register new pest control products essential to Integrated Pest Management, and compatible with pollinators • Registration of biologically-based pest control products

34. Registration Strategies • Start research on new chemistries before the first food use tolerance (i.e., chlorantraniliprole, flupyradifurone, oxathiapiprolin, etc.) • Use representative crops to obtain tolerances for entire crop groups or crop subgroups (https://www.ir4project.org/crop-grouping/) • Use “Super Crop Group” concepts for reduced risk products to increase efficiencies

35. IR-4 Successes Since its inception, IR-4 has facilitated: • Registration of ~19,000 food crop uses • Registration or amending of >170 ornamental product labels, impacting >44,000 crop uses • Registration of numerous biopesticides (sprayableBt, spinosad for organics, etc.) • Registration of Plum pox resistant stone fruit

36. Economic Impact of IR-4 • The Michigan State University Center for Economic Analysis (Dec. 2017) report • For a combined total budget of ~$18 million, the IR-4 Project contributes/supports • over $9.4 billion to annual US Gross Domestic Product • over 95,000 jobs throughout the United States.

37. IR-4’s Future?? • After more than 54 years, the needs are still there, maybe more than ever • Continue to address grower needs; there is significant specialty crop grower support • Latest/safest pest control tools • Invasive species research • Enable expansion of U.S. exports

38. For More Information Contact … USDA-ARS Office of Minor Use Pesticides Dr. Alvin Simmons IR-4/ARS Coordinator 843-402-5307 alvin.simmons@ars.usda.gov Northeast Region Ms. Marylee Ross Regional Field Coordinator Univ. of Maryland 410-742-8788 ext. 310 mross@umd.edu North Central Region Dr. Anthony VanWoerkom Regional Field Coordinator Michigan State Univ. 517-336-4611 vanwoer3@anr.msu.edu Southern Region Mr. Roger Batts/Dr. Janine Spies Interim/Regional Field Coordinator NC State Univ./Univ. of FL 919-515-1668/352-294-3991 rbbatts@ncsu.edu/jrazze@ufl.edu Western Region Mr. Michael Horak Regional Field Coordinator Univ. of CA, Davis 530-752-7634 mjhorak@ucdavis.edu Each State has an IR-4 State Liaison Visit the IR-4 Web Site To Learn More… IR-4 Headquarters Dr. Jerry Baron Executive Director 732-932-9575 ext. 4605 jbaron@njaes.rutgers.edu https://www.ir4project.org/

39. Thank You!